Edwards County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located on the

Edwards Plateau The Edwards Plateau is a geographic region forming the crossroads of Central, South and West Texas, United States. It is named in honor of Haden Edwards. It is bounded by the Balcones Fault to the south and east; the Llano Uplift and the Lla ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. As of the 2020 census its population was 1,422. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Rocksprings. The county was created in 1858 and organized in 1883. It is named for Haden Edwards, an early settler of

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Stephen F. Austin State University is located in Nacogdoches and special ...

. The

Edwards Aquifer The Edwards Aquifer is one of the most prolific artesian aquifers in the world. Located on the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas, it is the source of drinking water for two million people, and is the primary water su ...

and

are named after the county by reason of their locations.

History

* The early inhabitants were

Lipan Apache Lipan Apache are a band of Apache, a Southern Athabaskan languages, Southern Athabaskan Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people, who have lived in the Oasisamerica, Southwest and Southern Plains for centuries. At the time of European ...

and

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

. * 1762 Looking for protection from Comanches, Lipan Apache chief El Gran Cabezón persuades

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

s and the Spanish military to establish San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz Mission on the Nueces River. The Mission was abandoned in 1771. * 1825

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

born Haden Harrison Edwards joins forces with Stephen F. Austin and contracts with

Coahuila y Tejas Coahuila y Tejas, officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila y Tejas (), was one of the constituent states of the newly established United Mexican States under its 1824 Constitution. It had two capitals: first Saltillo (1822–1825) f ...

to move 800 families into east Texas. In 1826 Edwards announces the creation of the Republic of Fredonia near Nacogdoches, an early attempt to secede from Mexico. Stephen F. Austin joins forces with Mexico against Edwards. Haden Edwards flees in 1827 to

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

for his safety, returns to Texas, and spends the rest of his life in Nacogdoches. * 1858 Edwards County is formed from Bexar County. * 1871 Clint Smith, age 11, and brother Jeff Smith, age 9, are kidnapped by Indians near Rocksprings. * 1882 W.J. Greer settles a sheep camp at Rocksprings. * 1883 Edwards County is officially organized and named for Haden Harrison Edwards. * 1884 Francis Winan cattle and sheep ranch at Rocksprings. * 1885 A.O. Burr sets up farming at Rocksprings. * 1891 County seat becomes Rocksprings. The County Courthouse is built by architects Ben Davey and Bruno Schort in the Romanesque Revival Style. * 1898 Rocksprings Telephone Company is formed. * 1913 Edwards loses land in its eastern section to Real County. * 1927 A tornado hits Rocksprings. * 1940 Rocksprings calls itself the "Top-o-the-World" in mohair production, which peaks that year. * 1946 Oil is discovered in the county. * 1991 Kickapoo Cavern State Park, in both Edwards and Kinney County opens to the public. * 1992 Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area near Rockspring opens to the public. It is the home to the largest single-chambered cavern and third-deepest in the state.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.09%) are covered by water.

Major highways

* U.S. Highway 277 * U.S. Highway 377 * State Highway 41 * State Highway 55

Adjacent counties

* Sutton County (north) * Kimble County (northeast) * Kerr County (east) * Real County (southeast) * Uvalde County (southeast) * Kinney County (south) * Val Verde County (west)

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, 2,162 people, 801 households, and 586 families resided in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was less than . The 1,217 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 83.26% White, 0.79% African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 12.72% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. About 45.05% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 801 households, 31.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.80% were married couples living together, 8.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.80% were not families. About 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.20. In the county, the population was distributed as 28.50% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $25,298, and for a family was $27,083. Males had a median income of $21,912 versus $14,907 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $12,691. About 24.60% of families and 31.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 47.40% of those under age 18 and 17.70% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

* Rocksprings (county seat)

Census-designated places

* Barksdale

Other unincorporated communities

* Carta Valley

Politics

Education

School districts include: * Rocksprings Independent School District * Nueces Canyon Consolidated Independent School District The designated community college is Southwest Texas Junior College.Texas Education Code: Sec. 130.200. SOUTHWEST TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGE DISTRICT SERVICE AREA.
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References

External links

Edwards County in ''Handbook of Texas Online''

Edwards County Profile from the Texas Association of Counties
{{authority control 1883 establishments in Texas Populated places established in 1883 Texas Hill Country Majority-minority counties in Texas